1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for printing image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an image forming apparatus executes a fixing process to stabilize an image formed on an output medium to be durable for practical use. In an image forming apparatus using ink, such as an inkjet type printer, drying of ink corresponds to the fixing process described herein.
Drying time of ink varies according to a combination of ink properties and an output medium property. Some output media require ink drying time which is barely-troublesome to users, while some other output media require users to wait for a predetermined time to secure the ink drying time, even though same ink is used.
By idling in the drying time, user-friendliness is lost while an image cannot be preserved in a stable condition if sufficient amount of the drying time is not secured.
Conventionally, various methods for optimizing the drying time are proposed. For example, an automatic control method for optimizing ink drying time according to date information and location information is discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-168014. (Refer to a paragraph 0007 and FIG. 9)
Meanwhile, conventional techniques have their limits to handle cases where a large number of sheets is printed with high image quality, such as an advertising poster. While in printing with high image quality an exclusive print medium is often used, the drying time of such print medium is often long in general. Therefore, a problem remains that users are kept waiting even though the processes are optimized.